The Magic of Face-to-Face Conferences

Sophie White: Hey everyone. This is a special edition of EDUCAUSE Shop Talk that I hope will be helpful to anyone attending an in-person professional development event in the future, and particularly to anyone who's attending the 2026 EDUCAUSE Annual Conference face-to-face in Denver. Jenay and I talked with Eden Dahlstrom and Jamie Russell representing the program committee perspective to discuss what to expect at this year's EDUCAUSE Annual Conference. We also talked about the value of face-to-face events, especially in this time that we do do so much online, what the value of connecting as a community in person is, and also the value of everything from checking out various different networking events to walking around a large exhibit hall, what we call the EDUCAUSE Commons, and how that can really help all of us as higher ed technology practitioners look at what the future of technology and work in higher ed might be looking like.

Sophie White: So I was really energized after this discussion. I live in Denver, so I also shared a few tips for if you're traveling to Denver, how you can make the most of your experience. But I think this conversation will be helpful to anyone who is attending a professional development event, who's attending this conference for the first time, or if you're a veteran, to just think about how you can make the most of your experience. So I hope you enjoy it and hope to see some of you in Denver soon.

Sophie White: Hi everyone, and welcome to EDUCAUSE Shop Talk. I'm Sophie White. I am a senior manager for program and content marketing here at EDUCAUSE, and I am one of the hosts for today's discussion.

Jenay Robert: Hi everybody. I'm Jenay Robert. I am a research manager at EDUCAUSE, and I will be your other host.

Sophie White: Great.

Sophie White: We are really excited today to talk about the value of face-to-face professional development events. This conversation is really timely because we have our big EDUCAUSE annual conference coming up in Denver in September 2026. So we'll talk a bit about the conference, but also just why it's valuable for all of us as professionals to connect in person in these times. So I'm really thrilled to have two special guests with us today. I'll introduce them and then we will jump into it. First of all, we have Eden Dahlstrom. Dr. Eden Dahlstrom is the Vice President of Professional Development and Membership at EDUCAUSE. She's been with EDUCAUSE since 2011 and is a driving force for innovation and continuous improvement of the member experience. As executive lead for the EDUCAUSE Annual Conference, she brings both knowledge of behind the scenes plans of how the conference comes together and insights about what to expect at this year's event.

Sophie White: Thanks for being here, Eden.

Eden Dahlmstom: Thanks for inviting me.

Sophie White: Great. Next up we have Jamie Russell. Jamie Russell is the senior director of ERP and Business Intelligence within the San Francisco Bay Region Network, where she leads teams and strategic initiatives focused on enterprise technology, digital transformation, and improving the experience of students, faculty, and staff. Her involvement with EDUCAUSE began as a member of the inaugural Executive Leaders Academy cohort in 2022 and has grown to include periodically teaching in the New Managers Institute, serving her second year on the annual conference advisory committee and serving as co-chair of the Connectors Committee. She's passionate about the relationships and shared learning that happen across higher education and believes some of the most valuable professional growth comes from connecting and learning from one another. Thanks, Jamie, for being here.

Jaime Russell: Really excited.

Sophie White: Great. And I love the last sentence in your bio about connecting and learning from each other. Thanks for all you do for EDUCAUSE too. It seems like you were highly involved with us, so I appreciate that. Yeah, I

Jaime Russell: Don't know what happened. I know there were a couple of moments after I did the Executive Leaders Academy and I got the invite for the advisory committee and I went, "How did I get on that list? I don't know." But boy, am I glad I did. It's been so fun to give back to an organization that has really made a difference in my career. That's really what I strongly believe.

Sophie White: Thank you. That means a lot to us. It's great to hear. And yeah, I think you've shown up on some lists because now you're on this podcast too to talk about it. Here we are.

Jenay Robert: Once you get on the list, it's really hard to get off of it, so welcome.

Sophie White: Noted. Oh, go ahead, Eden.

Eden Dahlmstom: And I think Jamie's experience is a great example of even how we talk about EDUCAUSE because a couple of years ago we rebranded our conference from bringing together the best thinkers in higher education to community inspired impact. And so Jamie's personification of that.

Sophie White: Yeah, that's a great way to put it. And I know that we can jump into it, but I feel like especially post-pandemic, I've been hearing so much about the value of connecting in person. We do so much online. There's a lot of learning that we can do online and that's really valuable in its own way, but there's something about actually all getting together as professionals to work through these challenges together and even the value of seeing someone you know and running into them in a hallway, that might get you on a certain list or part of a discussion that you need to be included in. So I'm curious, let's just start with what is the value of in-person connection now that we're talking about this in September 2026? Why do we all get together for these big events like the EDUCAUSE Annual Conference and others?

Jaime Russell: Eden, do you want me to jump in or do you want to go?

Eden Dahlmstom: I defer to you on this one because I created the party place, but you are coming to the party and so maybe just share what drives you, what interests you? Well,

Jaime Russell: And it is a party. I mean, Eden and I have crossed paths. She knows that for me, my social bucket and my energy to restart the efforts that we're doing here. We get stuck in this, this is the way we do things every single day and the bogged down of how many more emails do I have to answer or what are our ticket queues looking like or what's the next big idea that somebody has that we need to implement? And we sort of get lost in the shuffle a little bit about who we are and why we're here. It's not a secret that those of us in higher ed are not here for the money. So there's something else that's bringing us to the conversation and it's the purpose and it's the mission of educating the next leaders of wherever we are. And so for me, in addition to just how I've started and how I've engaged with EDUCAUSE, I have a new role and it requires me to serve three campuses in a way that I've never imagined could be possible.

Jaime Russell: They are no less than two hours away from each other. And so I am literally on Zoom for eight hours a day talking to people. And this isn't something that I said, you know what would be cool is if I sat on Zoom for eight hours a day and interacted with my team in that way. But it's what changed and it's what we need to be doing. We need to be ready to pivot and come up with how do we respond to the changes in our enrollment numbers and the things that EDUCAUSE has been talking about in the top 10 for the last six or seven years. How do we respond? Well, this is one of the ideas. We consolidate some of our operations. And so for me, I advocate very hard for an opportunity like EDUCAUSE, and that's where I put all of my eggs, to be honest.

Jaime Russell: There's other opportunities, but I'm like, this is the conference that I want to go to. This is the one that makes a difference for me. I get to reestablish my network, the people that I interact with across the country, mentors from my Executive Leaders Academy. I just wait until I run into Donna. Hey Donna. Every single year we just run into each other and we stand there in the hall talking for 15 minutes and doing our catch-up. And it grows into a connection that then says, "You know what? I think that my friend who's the CIO over at this institution can help with this problem. Let me connect you with her." And so then I've stepped out of the conversation. So we're building our network. We're creating that environment of sharing and not being in it alone and getting re-energized for the next year ahead.

Jaime Russell: So that's what it means to me. Move away from virtual a little bit.

Sophie White: Eden, anything you want to add to that?

Eden Dahlmstom: I think this is complimentary to what you said, especially the part about being on Zoom. I mean, I thought I would be worried a little bit more about quicksand and things of that sort as an adult and not about Zoom, but here we are. And obviously we're doing a digital format right now. For me, in-person conferences or in-person gatherings are really about the gift of focus. So right now I am doing laundry, I am making sourdough, and I am trying not to talk to my children who are blowing up my phone with something that's very not important to me, but super important to them. When I am on site, I am fully present and that is something that I can't say for most of the days that I have that are work-related days. And so in addition to what Jamie said, it is the ability to let go of all of the things that are around.

Eden Dahlmstom: And I work from home, obviously this is my house, but even those of you that work on campuses or in real work environments, same thing, focus.

Sophie White: Oh, go ahead, Jenay.

Jenay Robert: I just wanted to say, I think it's important to not discount the value of the connections that we're making now and in other virtual environments. That also adds so much to my life and has broadened access to work and networking for many, many people. So just as I know the focus here is us talking about the conference, I just want to kind of acknowledge that and add what Jamie said about stopping in the hallway and chatting for 15 minutes. To me, 90% of my conference is that hallway. And I feel like at first I thought that was a little weird, and now the more I've worked with people from an association perspective and talked to our members, and it seems like that is really common that a lot of your conference, although you learn so much in the sessions and on the showroom floor and all of that, but really those hallway connections that are unplanned, there's something so serendipitous about running into people and having those chats.

Jenay Robert: So yeah, just a plus one to that from Jamie.

Sophie White: Yeah. And I feel like for me, I've seen that I've had to really reframe sometimes how I think about the conference in terms of, oh, these hallway conversations are really valuable and maybe I don't need to rush to this session that I was going to sit into, but actually having these conversations with someone I know might be more valuable in some cases. So it kind of reframes how you think about your own experience. And I was going back to, this connects a lot with how we're thinking about teaching and learning modalities too. There's so much discussion on campuses now about online, virtual, hybrid. And I come back to something that Melody Buckner told me a few years ago on a panel, which was really about how when we think about learning, if students are learning virtually, we want to think about the best way that we can teach them virtually.

Sophie White: If we're in person, we want to think about what is something uniquely important to in-person learning and how can we take advantage of this modality? So I feel like I try to think about what are the best things I can get out of an in-person experience with all of my colleagues in one place that maybe I can't get virtually and really capitalize on that.

Jenay Robert: I love that perspective. Thank you for sharing that. Thanks to Melody too.

Eden Dahlmstom: Thanks, Melody. Yeah.

Sophie White: She must have told me that five years ago and it's just stuck in my head. Exactly. And I'm curious, so Jamie, you're talking about how you've been involved with EDUCAUSE for a while. You run into people you know. One of my roles is supporting our young professionals community at EDUCAUSE, and I know sometimes it can be hard when you're at a giant conference, you don't know a lot of people, you're a first timer to break into that community if you don't know a lot of people in the hallway. So I'm curious, how did you get into this community? Do you have tips for someone who might be new and doesn't have that big network but wants to create one?

Jaime Russell: Sure. Yeah. So you really, and this isn't for everybody, I am clearly an extrovert, but this idea of being open-minded or open-hearted to the situation that you're in is really, it helps for my partners and friends who are introverts to not crawl into a hole like, oh gosh, this is too much and the overwhelm. Go in with a plan. Be like, I want to achieve these five things in this two and a half, three day conference, the time that I'm going to spend here. So keep those in mind. Write them down, put them in your phone, put them in your hotel room. What's my goal for the day? Cross those off as you achieve them, but just hone in on what you can. I have a very long time colleague of mine who, thank goodness we're still working together. We share everything all the time and we always say if you walk away having learned a couple of new things, it was a successful conference.

Jaime Russell: And those things can come from sessions, they can come from the posters, walking around and just exploring on your own at your own pace. It could be with talking with vendors. It could be making those connections. So we have a lot of opportunities through this annual conference. We've reignited something called a connectors committee where, and this was done before, and this is the first year it's coming back, where there's some of us social bugs that just want to help spread the word and create spaces for engagement at your level. That's really important so you get to pick what makes sense. And I just had California time, so 8:00 AM meeting with this committee and I am reminded that on Tuesday. So pre-conference at 1:00 PM, if you're taking a pre-conference in the morning, I'm going on a walk at 1:00. I'm going to meet you at the Blue Bear and you can sign up.

Jaime Russell: And I don't know how we're signing that up yet. Dan's working on that, but you can meet me at the Blue Bear and we're going to walk over to MCU, which I've never been to. It's like 1.4 miles, they tell me, one way. So anybody can turn around, but these are informal opportunities to start to make connections. And then I know my partner Bill, my friend, over at one of the other campuses that we've worked with on the advisory committee for the last two years, and now we're doing the connector committee together. He's going to do a 7:00 AM walk on Thursday, and I think we're doing the creek. And I said, "I'll be there. I'm going to go with you on that one." And so these informal, there's going to be a space where you can go and do some board games or some different kinds of things that are lower key.

Jaime Russell: I find entering into, and Eden knows this even as an extrovert because I've said it before, you walk into that room where all the vendors are and I go, "All right, well, it was fun guys. It's so overwhelming." So plan your vendor meetings before you go. Then you know you're booked for a half hour. You know who you want to talk to and you already have your agenda in mind and you don't have to talk to all of the other vendors that are anxiously awaiting your time. So it's a big space, but take advantage of you pick what you want to do. Don't go back to your hotel room. There's plenty of opportunity at everybody's level of excitement that you can engage on. That's my two cents.

Jenay Robert: Lately I've been trying. Eden, go ahead. You first,

Eden Dahlmstom: Please. No, you go, Jenay.

Jenay Robert: Okay. Lately, I've been trying to be really cognizant of what the first timer experience is like at a conference or when you're at a conference and you're the only person from your institution or from your workplace. And so over the last couple of years, every time I'm at a conference where there's no one else from EDUCAUSE there and it's just me and I don't really know anybody and it's my first time, I try to really kind of pay attention to what that feels like and where are the pain points so that I can alleviate those for other people when I'm at our annual conference or other conferences where I know people. And one of the things that I want to encourage people to do, if it's not your first time and you're there with a bunch of people and you meet somebody who is their first time and/or they're there without many other connections is invite them to dinner.

Jenay Robert: I think the loneliest part of a conference for me when I don't know anybody is I don't have anyone to hang out with when the conference is over for the day. I just go back to my hotel room, I get some Uber Eats, and it's like me and streaming Star Trek on my phone. And I'm an introvert and that's still very uncomfortable for me. I prefer to enjoy some extra time with colleagues, so invite people to hang out around mealtimes. And then on the other side of that, if it's your first time or you're there without a lot of connections, something that I try to do is just focus on whatever room I'm in during the day, throughout the day that changes. But anytime I'm in some room with a bunch of people, try to just meet one person. People are often surprised to hear that I identify as an introvert because I'm kind of an outgoing introvert at work.

Jenay Robert: I have a completely different persona, and that's part of it. It's that I really push myself to try to just meet one person. And I find that as an introvert, it's a little more comfortable to have a small simple goal of just saying, "Hi, I'm Jenay. I work at EDUCAUSE. Nice to meet you. It's my first time here," that kind of thing. So those are my little tips for that.

Jaime Russell: I love that. I will take some of those, Jenay. Thank you. I'll go to dinner with you too if you want.

Jenay Robert: Okay, thank you.

Eden Dahlmstom: Perfect. We do have ribbons that people can self-select, and so one of the ribbons is first time attendee, and we have, gosh, it's pretty consistent, about 40% of our attendees say on their registration form that they're first time attendees, which means that they don't know the lay of the land. Sure, we have a know before you go. Sure, we send you some emails that talks about prep. Sure, we do venue tours and things of that sort, but if you see someone wearing one of those first time attendee ribbons, it's a great conversation piece, especially if you are one of our more experienced attendees and see if they're interested in coming along your ride that you have there. I'm sure they'd appreciate it.

Jaime Russell: And on the other side of that, Eden, for our first time attendees who might be listening to this podcast as they get ready and pack their bags, last year, EDUCAUSE let the advisory committee do something fun, which had a great response, and we're doing something similar this year. So you need to be on the lookout for people with scarves that say EDUCAUSE on them. They're one of a kind, but find somebody who has one of these scarves and we will help you. We're getting a lay of the land too, but we might be a little bit more comfortable in those shoes and are happy to way find you to whatever location you need or questions you might have. Whatever it is, we'll have these really cool scarves, which I saw this morning, Eden. They're so cool. Excellent. Thank you.

Eden Dahlmstom: Yeah. Last year we had red cowboy hats. We were in Nashville. This year we're on brand in Denver by having scarves and the weather probably won't disappoint. If you don't like the weather, wait an hour in Denver.

Sophie White: Yes, I live in Denver. It is 90 degrees today, and I also got hailed on last weekend in the mountains, so it can switch quickly.

Jenay Robert: Wait, can we talk about this weather issue? Because I feel like this would be helpful for people listening to the pod or watching the pod. I'm from Florida, so year round, it's planned for hot weather, period. There's really no. It'll rain for five minutes every afternoon during hurricane season, other than that, planned to just be hot. But in Denver, I remember the last time our annual conference was in Denver, it was beautiful spring weather one minute. And like you said, Sophie, wait, the next minute it was snowing. So what are your tips for people preparing for the Denver weather?

Sophie White: Yes. When I moved to Denver, I grew up in New England where people say the weather changes quickly, but Denver is another level, so I would say bring layers for sure. It is known for being pretty sunny here and higher elevation. It's a mile high city at 5,280 feet above sea level, so you can get sunburned more easily. So I'd say plan for sun if you're walking around a lot, like your walk to, it sounds like the MSU campus, Jamie, maybe wear a hat to keep your face out of the sun. Definitely wear sunscreen. I wear sunscreen every day. It's also dry, so big fan of water. I bring a water bottle everywhere I go and always have chapstick with me. At night, I would check the weather, but it tends to get a bit colder, so probably bring a jacket and the convention center, depending on how much the AC is blasting, can be hot or cold depending on where you are.

Sophie White: So layers, again, to accommodate for that.

Jenay Robert: So plan for four seasons is what you're telling

Sophie White: Me. Exactly.

Jaime Russell: And I just made all my notes, Sophie. Thank you.

Sophie White: I will say now it'll probably just go against everything I'm saying, but it doesn't rain here a lot, so usually I don't bring a raincoat. Next week,

Jaime Russell: You're looking at high 80s and chance of storms with a Thunderbolt every single day. So be ready, Sophie. I just look to see what you've got ahead.

Sophie White: Yeah, so that's all I've got. If you all have other questions, email me and I'm happy to give you a Denver list, but also wear good walking shoes. The convention center, you'll be walking a lot if you're a first timer between sessions, so make sure there are shoes you can stand and walk in quite a bit.

Eden Dahlmstom: I'm going to use this as a shameless plug opportunity for something that we're doing new this year, and it is the EDUCAUSE merch store. So if you go to www.educause.edu/store, you could buy an EDUCAUSE water bottle that you can bring to the conference and fill to keep hydrated. You can buy a hoodie if you want to show off your swag there. Our EDUCAUSE Commons will also have lots of fun and interesting gifts and schwag from our exhibitors, so you can always have the chance to get some free stuff there. If you didn't bring the proper layers, you can pick them up on site.

Sophie White: That is a great plug. I'm really excited about the store. I feel like this is something we've wanted for a while, so bring your

Jaime Russell: EDUCAUSE water bottle. Is it open now, Eden?

Eden Dahlmstom: It is.

Jaime Russell: Oh, okay. I'm going to check it out. Code for us right now.

Eden Dahlmstom: Surely there is. It's so secret at this moment though. I do not have it to reveal.

Jaime Russell: I was kidding. No, I am going to go check that out though.

Jenay Robert: We'll link it in the show notes to you for anyone who missed that. Or if like me, you always have a typo in the word EDUCAUSE when you spell it, even though you've worked here for five years, we'll link it for you.

Sophie White: I always switch the U and the A.

Jenay Robert: Always.

Sophie White: Okay, great. So check out the store. I wanted to go back to something you said, Jamie. So you were talking about the program committee will have scarves if people want to connect with someone. I think one of the valuable elements of a conference this big is that we have a lot of different formats for networking, and we can talk about introvert, extrovert tendencies too, but there are events. There's a big networking reception in the EDUCAUSE Commons where the exhibitors are, if you like the big group hangout where you go up to people and get a drink and talk to them. There are also brain dates, which are smaller one-on-one or small group discussions. I believe there's a new welcome reception this year, the first pre-conference day of the conference. So can you talk about, I guess, a few different ways that you might be able to connect and network with people maybe in various levels of intimidating groups?

Jaime Russell: Yeah, so we always kick off the welcome reception. I'm excited to check that out. There will be a lot of the advisory committee and the connector committee helping navigate you to the right location. So when you come around 3:45, four o'clock on Tuesday, we're going to be there ready to get you to the right spot. And so I personally am super excited about that. Then there's the general sessions that start to kick off in the mornings, and in most cases, you're just sort of like a sardine. You're going to get into your seat with everybody else, and then there's going to be people right next to you, and there is your first opportunity to pull out Jenay's toolbox to say, "Hey, my name is Jamie, and I'm from Northern California. I'm part of this new initiative. Hey, where are you from?" And now you've made your first connection there.

Jaime Russell: For your sessions, there's so many opportunities for sessions. Typically, when I build my agenda, I have two or three sessions that are so interesting to me, and then I'm in the moment and I pick the one that makes the most sense, like, "Okay, did I already get some coverage of there?" And then depending on the session, I might make a connection with that presenter right after. There's community sessions, so there's little. I can't think of the word, but young professionals is an example. We've got module groups. There's different variations of connections that people will make just because of their interests. What are they called, Sophie, community interest groups or Eden, what is it called?

Eden Dahlmstom: Community groups. We have over 70 - Community groups, okay. Community groups, yeah.

Jaime Russell: Okay. So there's some small group kinds. You already have something in common. You already are showing that you want to be part of that group. And then the vendors often have a lot of events. So if you currently are Canvas and they have some kind of event that you've been invited to, some kind of reception, maybe with light appetizers, there's often you start to build, people are going in the same direction to the same vendor parties. "Hey, do you want to just catch an Uber together? "So you start to form these informal opportunities. I know the Connectors Committee has a dinner or two they're trying to put together in addition to the walks that we have going on.

Jaime Russell: I'm trying to think of where else. I mean, when you're walking around the commons, you're bumping into people. You're all grabbing the same water bottle or the same soda can that's sitting in their pop if you're from the Midwest, but trying to translate for my partners across the country. So there's different engagement places. The poster sessions are really great. These are our colleagues who had something cool that they're doing at their institution and they're presenting it on a poster board, quite literally a poster board, and they're in sections, they're in little streets or neighborhoods, and you go to those and you read what's on the board and one or two people are standing there ready to talk about it. "Hey, do you have any questions about what we did here? "That's a connection that you're making, and if you're choosing to ask that question, you're doing it at your pace.

Jaime Russell: So I guess I just really want to reassure everybody that you get to do what is most comfortable for you. Nobody is going to attack you, I promise.

Eden Dahlmstom: And Jamie, you identified as an extrovert earlier. I identify as an introvert, and so one of the things that I am very mindful of as we create experiences at the conference is to take a very large conference. We're expecting over 7,000. Awesome people there and creating smaller components of that. And so the smallest component is probably just the individual, you happen to make eye contact with someone or comment on their shoes in one of those free spaces, that's great. But we also have, you mentioned brain dates. I host a brain date called the INTJ meetup. So that's Myers-Brigg. It's for the judging introverts, not judgmental. And we always have a good time connecting with one another on that personal level. So yes, you could also talk about work related stuff. This happens to be personality related stuff. We have the EDUCAUSE commons, you mentioned that.

Eden Dahlmstom: That's what we call our exhibit hall. And that has been designed to have three distinct spaces. Not only do we organize our exhibitors by topic, but we also have hubs in the middle of these areas. We have an enterprise area, a teaching and learning area, and a cybersecurity and privacy area. And these hubs in the middle of these areas not only house the posters that you just mentioned, but also our emerging ed tech areas. We also have activities. If you are new to higher ed or new to the conference or new to EDUCAUSE and you're still trying to make connections or you want to increase your probability of running into someone you might connect with on a professional level, head into the EDUCAUSE Commons, go to the hub that you affiliate with, so in the teaching and learning area, because that's where there's going to be a concentration of people who work in higher ed that might have a similar type of role as you.

Eden Dahlmstom: And it's a great way to take a giant conference and make it smaller by segmenting folks by areas of interest or the job that they might have.

Sophie White: Can I ask, Jamie, I'm curious, thinking about the EDUCAUSE Commons with all the solution providers, as an institutional member, and it sounds like you're working on ERPs and big projects related to technology in higher ed, what is the value for you in talking to the solution providers all in one place in this space? What kind of conversations do you recommend trying to have with people when you're in there?

Jaime Russell: Well, I am one of the people, because of just to try and not be overwhelmed by the quantity, I do try to schedule two or three of these sessions in advance so that I am talking specifically with a vendor that I already have a relationship with or I need to take to the next level or I'm considering between two or three different products and I want to ask some very targeted questions. I don't know, do you happen to know, Eden, how many vendors or solution providers that we're going to have there? It's normally in the hundreds.

Eden Dahlmstom: Definitely in the hundreds. I have data on that, but I don't have it at my fingertips.

Jaime Russell: Yeah, there's a lot to look at. So the value is knowing the names that you want to talk to. They're already reaching out to you. They're already scanning the attendee list if you published yourself and they're already saying, "Hey, do you want to schedule some time?" So you can take advantage of those or you can just walk around. Write down your questions in advance. Maybe they're coming before, maybe you have these questions before you attend. Maybe you're sitting in a session that one of these solution partners is co-presenting with somebody, an institutional member as part of EDUCAUSE. Maybe there's a partnership there and you heard something that's interesting you go to their booth. They're ready to talk to you. They typically, especially some of these bigger units, they have eight to 10 people there waiting with their little iPads ready to talk to you, take down your information.

Jaime Russell: And this is a conversation starter. You're not going to get all of your questions answered, but you're establishing that relationship that you can then follow up on in the future. And that actually, that note goes to everything. You're not going to be best friends by the time you leave, but exchange details, get the information, and you can do that. I think you can do that in the app. When that launches, you're able to make these connections really quickly and retain those and then follow up with people. Once you're home, you're re-energized, you're ready to look at your notes, what were the highlights? And then reach out and have those meetings.

Eden Dahlmstom: I think there's another end of that spectrum as well.

Jenay Robert: Go, go

Eden Dahlmstom: Please.

Eden Dahlmstom: Yeah. There's another end of that spectrum, and that is the opportunity to also wander through the exhibit hall because there might be a solution provider that you didn't even know there was a solution for a problem that you might have though was unique to you or it wasn't solvable. That's one of the favorite things that I have for not just this conference, but other conferences that I go to that have large display areas like this because you walk by and you clutch your pearls and you're like, "I didn't know that this was a thing. We can make it that much easier." Or we've had this problem for years that really have been articulated or acknowledged it and now somebody came to the table that has a solution for it. It's my favorite.

Jenay Robert: I love all that advice. And I think about this from the perspective of somebody who actually has very little involvement in purchasing new technologies, not only in my current role, but in my previous roles at the various institutions I've worked at. I've never been in a position to, I've never been in procurement, none of that. And so for people like me, sometimes we are tempted to just avoid these spaces altogether because we think what is really the point of me having these conversations? And so I kind of want to direct this for people listening or watching. For people like me, it's still really useful to walk up and down for several reasons. One is that you're going to see some innovation, things like what Eden said, things you didn't know existed, things you didn't know were possible. And knowing the lay of the landscape is something where you can actually innovate from the ground up at your institution.

Jenay Robert: Another thing is that I have found, particularly at our conference, I can't speak for all conferences here, but at our conference, the solution providers are very thoughtful about the way that they engage in conversations. They're not just trying to find people who are going to buy their stuff. We really emphasize the value of listening to the community and having those two-way conversations. I think that's one of the magical things about EDUCAUSE is we're kind of amazing at creating community if I do say so myself. But this is one case where having a conversation with a solution provider and saying, "Well, have you ever thought about attacking this problem from this angle? Or have you ever thought about this feature? Or what are some of the new features coming out that you can't really talk about yet, but on the down low, can you tell me?" Those types of conversations are entirely possible.

Jenay Robert: I've found our solution providers on the floor to be very respectful of, "Oh yeah, you're not in a position of purchasing technology," but they still want to hear what you have to say and what's happening. It's not just a transactional space, and I really just want to encourage people to embrace that idea.

Sophie White: Yeah. I love your take as a researcher, Jenay, because I think it's really interesting to see where the market and where technology's going in general. We also have emerging tech companies who are exhibiting too. Those are small startup companies who I feel like tend to be on the cutting edge of maybe some more experimental or innovative ideas in higher ed and technology. So in the same way that Jenay, I know we talked about the Horizon report this year had signals of change, these really maybe niche things that might be bigger conversations down the road. I feel like looking at what the emerging tech companies are doing and the solution providers that we haven't maybe adopted yet in higher ed is a really interesting way to think about where our work might be going. Great. And I'll also say previous to my role at EDUCAUSE, I was in the EDUCAUSE exhibit hall a few years as part of a solution provider team.

Sophie White: And yeah, really echo that they are not trying to only sell people things, they're trying to build relationships and just understand what the conversations are in higher ed so they can better support them.

Jaime Russell: Absolutely.

Sophie White: So we only have a few minutes left. I'm trying to think about what would be most valuable to talk about next. Do you all have any other Denver specific questions that you're curious about? I'm happy to answer those. I'll say, I think just related to where the convention center is, if you all are visiting Denver, make sure you check out the 16th Street Mall. That is a newly renovated area of Denver that has a lot of shops and it's a pedestrian walkway area. So it will look different than the last time the EDUCAUSE Annual Conference was in Denver. That's been a big city initiative. My other favorite thing to do is to go to the Denver Botanical Gardens. It's really beautiful. It's a walk or an Uber cab ride away, and it's one of the best botanic gardens in the US. There are so many beautiful flowers there.

Jenay Robert: You see Jamie's writing all this down for people who aren't watching. Yes. I

Jaime Russell: Just

Jenay Robert: Have

Jaime Russell: So many notes, you guys. And I've been to Denver, this will be my third time and I'm like, "Oh, they're shopping somewhere?" Yeah, real excited. Thank you, Sophie, for that.

Sophie White: Yeah, I was just telling a member of the Young Professionals Advisory Committee, they were asking me for a hike they could go on, and Golden, Colorado is actually only about 15 or 20 minutes by driving away too. So there are some little hikes that you can go on if you're getting in early or leaving late for the conference. I told them to go to North Table Mountain, which has a hiking area, and there's also a really great brewery that's very scenic at the bottom of the mountain called New Terrain. So that's a fun adventure too if you're into mountain things.

Eden Dahlmstom: When I think of Denver, I think of good food, I think of micro brews, and I think of music venues. Those are the three things that I think of, obviously, other than the conference.

Sophie White: Yes. Red Rocks is awesome. I love going to shows there. All the artists there are also really excited to be there because it's such a historic, beautiful venue. So if you go see a show there, one of the nights of the conference, that's great. If you just go to walk around, it's still a beautiful place to explore. So highly recommend Red Rocks too. It's also about 20 minutes or so from downtown Denver.

Eden Dahlmstom: Depending on traffic.

Sophie White: Depending on traffic, yeah. If you go to rush hour, it might be more. Exactly.

Eden Dahlmstom: So Pete, what do you recommend for folks that might be in a limited budget for economical and safe transportation from the airport to downtown?

Sophie White: Definitely. So when I go to the airport, I usually take the train from Denver International Airport. There is a train that goes directly to Union Station, which is downtown. It goes every 15 minutes, so it's pretty frequent and costs $10 to get downtown. So Union Station, once you get there, you can either walk to the hotels near the convention center or there is a free bus that goes on the 16th Street Mall to get you to the hotels. So that's the most economical way. What generally

Jaime Russell: Is the walk from the Union Station? How long would you say?

Sophie White: I'd have to check it out on Google Maps. I'd say maybe a mile or a mile and a half or so. So

Jaime Russell: Depending - Sort of hard with a piece of luggage, but there's a free bus you said.

Sophie White: There is a free bus that runs pretty frequently. Yep.

Eden Dahlmstom: Or even from Union Station, the Uber is a lot more economical than it probably would be from the airport at that point if you don't want to take the pub trance.

Sophie White: And sometimes faster too, if it's rush hour to take the train downtown instead of being in an Uber in traffic. So definitely recommend that.

Jaime Russell: Okay. I wanted to ask about food and the opportunities that are available to grab snacks or grab lunch or whatever it might be during the conference. Do you have that information readily available or I can't remember off the top of my head? I think it's all on the website, but I don't think breakfast and lunch are included.

Eden Dahlmstom: Not typically included as we do have each day we have a number of individual providers who are hosting breakfast. Maybe it's because you're part of a committee, maybe it's one of our corporate partners who are offering breakfast. We try to have continuous coffee at all the important times in the morning when folks are rushing to get to their first session as well as in breaks and we'll also have some light snacks there. If we're in any of the workshops, lunch is typically provided in one of those. We do have grab and go stations as well as some of the different exhibitors provide snacks and snack thems. You can snack your way through the conference if you're on a budget. If you want meals, obviously Denver is a fantastic place to get an excellent meal. Lots of local four types of locally sourced types of places in Denver as well, if that's your gig.

Eden Dahlmstom: And then receptions, you will be invited or you'll happen across many receptions. And even if it says light appetizers, if the clever person can fill up on those or if you're going to multiple receptions, pace yourself because by the time you get to the last one, you will not want the spanacopita that you wish you would've waited for.

Jaime Russell: Well, and these are your opportunities, right? Grab lunch with somebody. "Hey, do you want to meet for breakfast in the morning? "So more opportunities to connect. But as a first-timer, it might not be something that you realize. Plan for those granola bars in your pockets just in case if you need it.

Jenay Robert: Yeah. And fill up your water every time you pass a water station. As someone born at sea level, when I am in Denver, I drink a lot of water.

Sophie White: Yep. I feel like people in Denver joke about having emotional support water bottles, but it's very true. I get really stressed if I am not near a water source at any time in my life now, so definitely recommend water. There are water fountains in the convention center, so you can get more, but I like having a bottle with me at least personally.

Jenay Robert: I'm looking at Sophie, we're looking at each other. We're doing the thing where the virtual look at each other in our little boxes. I think that's a

Sophie White: Good spot, right? I think so. Eden, is there anything else that someone who's going to the conference needs to know about this year?

Eden Dahlmstom: Needs to know. Gosh, that's a great question. And there's a thousand different answers. If you ask a thousand people and there's a thousand different answers, I can tell you the things that I'm excited about. We

Sophie White: Are doing that. Yeah, let's all go around what we're excited about. I like that.

Eden Dahlmstom: All right. Well, I'm excited about the neighborhood hubs that I told you about that are in the EDUCAUSE Commons and actually have something. I've had someone prepare something for me to share with you. We talk about the EDUCAUSE Commons, you go to a lot of big conferences and they have exhibit halls and that's fine. Okay, so for all intents and purposes, it's an exhibit hall, but we call it the EDUCAUSE Commons because many of our constituents work on campuses. And so if the EDUCAUSE Annual Conference were a campus, the EDUCAUSE Commons would be the student union, innovation hub, coffee shop, network lounge, tech lab, all rolled into one. So it's evolved really into the heart of the conference where you can spark conversations and this is where those connections will flourish because we've meaningfully collected people in gathering places with purpose. So we really, really, really would love to see you in the EDUCAUSE Commons.

Eden Dahlmstom: Personally, I'm also excited about the EDUCAUSE Ignite sessions. We have four separate sessions for Ignites, and what an Ignite is the five-minute presentation where you have 20 slides that auto advance, and we had enough individuals in our call for proposal say that they wanted to do it, that we have four different sessions on this. I really encourage you to come do that. The business purpose for this, other than it being just a really cool experience, is that you rarely get 45 minutes in time of a board or to make your case on something, but you can often get five minutes. And so this is a great skill for people to cultivate and challenge themselves to how to tell their story in just five minutes. It's

Jaime Russell: The elevator pitch right there.

Eden Dahlmstom: It's the elevator pitch. So the EDUCASE Commons for all your social innovation connection stuff and the Ignites, if you haven't been to one, to see what it's like to tell your story in five minutes.

Sophie White: That's great. I'm really excited. I'm presenting one for the first time and it's challenging. I'm working on my presentation right now to kind of condense everything down into those slides, but I'm so excited to see how everyone approaches that challenge. Jamie, what are you excited about at the conference this year?

Jaime Russell: I think I have to go back to one of Eden's first responses, which is that focus time. I'm only going to be so available when I'm there and being intentionally looking and doing all the things at the conference is appreciated time. So I think I'm looking forward to that.

Sophie White: Great.

Jaime Russell: Jenay, you're the last of us.

Jenay Robert: What

Jaime Russell: Are

Jenay Robert: You looking forward to? I'm most excited about talking to members. So as someone who works at EDUCAUSE, everything we do is member led, and I know that's an easy thing to say, but it's actually true. People often ask me as a member of the research team, where do we get all of our ideas for our research? And a lot of it comes from the conversations I have directly with members, whether that's at the annual conference or in virtual settings like meetings or even chatting with people on LinkedIn. Pretty much all my research ideas are coming from conversations with members. So I'm really excited to have those unexpected interactions at the annual conference. And then I'll actually let Sophie talk about it probably because I know we're getting close to the end of time, but I'm really excited about us recording two episodes of Shop Talk live at the conference.

Jenay Robert: It is such a fun thing to do. And I also have a session about our research around the impact AI is having on learning assessment. So Kim Arnold, who's also here at EDUCAUSE, and I will be talking about some of that research and some of the impacts we're seeing on our community. That's I think Thursday at some point. I can't remember the times.

Sophie White: Great. And I can go last. Yes, I am really excited about our live Shop Talk recordings. We're recording two different episodes Thursday afternoon. One is on the EDUCAUSE Top 10. So we'll talk to Mark McCormick, our interim VP of Research and Insights at EDUCAUSE, and a member of the top 10 panel about what these issues mean for higher ed and technology. And then we're also doing another podcast recording similar to one we did last year that was a great discussion on students and AI, so student perspectives on AI, how faculty are approaching working with students in AI. Lance Eaton, one of our award winners for this year will be on that podcast as well as one of our professional pipeline student scholars will be part of the discussion as well. So that was a blast last year. I'm also really excited for everything we have going on at the Young Professionals Hub this year.

Sophie White: This group is really motivated. They have done a lot of planning behind the scenes to bring together that community. They also have a happy hour event the Thursday night of the conference, which is traditionally the last two years we've done it, has been a really great way to connect with that community, has had a lot of energy and kind of fostering that sense of belonging. So I'm psyched for that. I think overall, the thing I'm most excited for is just to see everyone in person. I love working with the higher ed community, and after chatting on Zoom and email with everyone all year, this is kind of the chance to actually get to connect on a personal and professional level. So I'm thrilled for that. And because it's in Denver, I get to stay home and be with my cat at night too, which I am excited about.

Jenay Robert: I love that for you.

Sophie White: Yes.

Jenay Robert: There was one more thing I think on the list. Eden was going to talk about the online. Did you already talk about that, Adam Grant's keynote?

Eden Dahlmstom: No. So first, so we have some great keynotes planned for the face-to-face conference. I know this is about the face-to-face conference, and we have Heather McGowan who will be talking about leading in the age of uncertainty. We have our top 10 big reveal for the next year, which is very exciting. Mark McCormick and A, been part of that as well. We'll be speaking on that. And then we have John O'Brien. This is his last EDUCAUSE conference. As the CEO, he has announced his retirement, and he and Paula Blanc, who is the former president of Southern New Hampshire University, will be doing a fireside chat at the conference. Those will all be recorded, but I'm excited to tell you that we have booked Adam Grant as our keynote speaker for our online conference. We have an online conference a couple of weeks after the face-to-face conference, and our premium content from the face-to-face conference will be recorded and put into the online conference, but you'll also have a chance to interact with Adam Grant October 14th or 15th, depending on what day the keynote is.

Eden Dahlmstom: All of our face-to-face attendees get to come to the virtual conference as part of their package that they get for registering for the online conference. You have to register separate, but there's no separate fee for that. So we hope to see you and Adam Grant at the virtual conference as well.

Sophie White: Cannot wait. I'm in the middle of reading one of his books right now for my Ignite presentation, so can't wait for that event. I think we're at time. This was such a great discussion. I'm really excited to see everyone in Denver in person shortly. Thank you, Jamie and Eden for being such wonderful guests today and for all the work that you've done to make this a fantastic conference experience for all of us too.

Jenay Robert: Thank you.